Chances are, you’ve been to a “meat and three”—a hometown restaurant that serves up a meat and your choice of three vegetables. (The word vegetable is used loosely, as it’s more often than not corn pudding, a form of potatoes or macaroni and cheese—none of which are technically vegetables. But we digress). If you’ve been to a meat and three you know the point is not the meat, but the sides (kind of like Thanksgiving dinner).

Since grilling season is in full swing, here are three great side dishes to go with your grilled steak (or salmon or pork). They’re easy and all have a fresh spin—lime in the rice, chipotle chiles in the grits and tomatoes in the bean salad. They’re so easy and good, you won’t care if they’re vegetables or not.